The single biggest factor in your amazing Baja trip is the people, and we’ve got the best. Not just guides, but the whole team. Why?
Common purpose. Communication. Mutual support. We are fulfilled by building relationships, among the team and with the wider paddling community.
We love exploring the natural world and sharing it. Our guides have a cumulative total of over a century of experience guiding in the National Marine Park of Loreto, with some individuals living their guiding dream for 25 years. Nobody else comes close!
You’ll feel the difference. Come meet the crew!
After nearly a decade of guiding big-group, no experience necessary trips in the Loreto area (which is mostly about cooking), Ginni decided it was worth the risk to offer something different, and started SKBM in 2007.
Through the years in Baja, Ginni has taken great interest in learning about desert plants, marine biology, geology, and the night sky. She thoroughly enjoys sharing these with people.
Ginni also founded the Columbia River Kayaking cooperative in Washington, created Slow Boat Farm on Puget Island in the Columbia River, and organized the annual Lower Columbia Kayak Roundup for 5 years. She has traveled to Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Wales, Canada, Tahiti, throughout the US, and of course Mexico to guide and coach. She is certified by the British Canoeing as a 5* Advanced Sea Leader, a Sea Leader Course Provider, and a Coach Tutor, and by the ACA as Level 5 Coastal Instructor.
Remote paddling destinations without bears, bugs, or ice intrigue her. Personal adventures include a solo to Isla Catalana, the most remote island in the Loreto National Marine park, renowned for its endemic rattleless rattlesnakes, of which she saw none. In 2012-2013 she sailed across the South Pacific with Captain Henrick, in a 36′ steel monohull called Misty. They had kayaks on board, of course. She paddled solo across the Gulf of California in 2020, a journey whose final 55nm from Isla Tortugas to the Sonora coast she completed in 18 hours.
Ginni’s motivating vision in Sea Kayak Baja Mexico is to create a self-sustaining community of paddlesports professionals in Loreto who will train and mentor future generations of paddlers, guides, and coaches while continuing to provide enriching experiences for visitors.
Ginni built two wooden boats, Pygmy Boats’ Arctic Tern and Arctic Tern 14. She has been featured in Justine Curgenven’s original “This is the Sea” video and in several magazine articles. She wrote regularly for Ocean Paddler Magazine (until it went out of print during Covid) and makes occasional entries in a personal blog called kayaktravel. Her current writing project is a guidebook for the National Marine Park of Loreto. She is also a breast cancer survivor who wants to give hope to others undergoing that journey.
Marcos lives in the middle of the Baja California Peninsula and splits his time between fishing on the Pacific side and guiding out of Loreto. A strong paddler and seasoned leader, he led kayak trips in the Loreto area since 1998. Marcos holds his British Canoeing 4-star Sea Leader and UKCC Coach Level 1 certifications. Friendly, mellow, funny, and resourceful, he has a love for the sea and its creatures. A deep knowledge of how to coax food from the sea and a myriad of ways to make it taste delicious are among the many talents he brings to the Sea Kayak Baja Mexico team.
Marcos is a keen observer and is usually the first to spot whales and changes in the weather. His sharp eye and joy in helping people also make him an effective and much-appreciated coach.
Marcos also charters sport fishing from his panga in San Carlos.
Ramon grew up beside the San Isidro lagoon in the Sierra la Giganta mountains inland from Loreto. He interned with Sea Kayak Baja Mexico in 2011 while in university, and has become invaluable to us as a man who can do it all: lead trips, fix kayaks, drive shuttles, train staff, and bring out the best in people. He has his British Canoeing 4-star Sea Leader, UKCC Coach Level 1 and has trained as Sea Kayak Coach. Ramon has an impish sense of humor, a contagious giggle, and a calm way of noticing everything.
Ramon is also certified as a guide by the Federal Tourist Board known as SECTUR and has been instrumental in developing volunteer staff for our community programs.
Enthusiastic, energetic, creative, and fun, Maria is a genuine Baja gal! She grew up on the shores of San Ignacio Lagoon in central Baja, home of the famous friendly gray whales, and has been sharing her love of the outdoors with people ever since. She has paddled most of the length of the Gulf of California. Maria holds her UKCC Coach Level 1 certification. In the summer, Maria co-runs a SCUBA school called EdMar with her partner in La Paz.
Ruben has a scientist’s eye for detail and a teacher’s heart for helping people. He came to our team through our partner Sea Trek where he is a much-requested guide. He is an active volunteer in our paddling club, opening opportunity for local residents to learn to kayak and enjoy the Marine Park. He has a knack for showing up with a smile just when you need him the most, and can fix anything. He earned his Sea Kayak Leader and Sheltered Water Coach certifications from British Canoeing and has taken the Sea Kayak Coach course..
World traveler, outdoor adventurer, outstanding guide and world’s most meticulous mechanic, Art is a man of many interests and talents. He came to the team as an experienced lead guide for SKBM’s partner Sea Trek and now guides anything and teaches paddleboard and kayaking. Of all the places he’s explored: Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Europe, and the bayous of Florida, Baja remains his favorite, and we’re glad for that!
Jano hails from Jalisco where he worked as a volcano hiking guide before moving to Baja in 2017. Versatile and creative, Jano started in our store, worked as a day trip guide, and moved rapidly up to expedition leader and coach. With a big heart and a vision of the big picture, Jano stepped into a management role in 2024, and SKBM is the better for his kind, capable care. Jano is always ready with a smile and a laugh! He aims to use adventure sports to make positive change in local communities and the planet.
Nikee loves life, especially underwater life! Though he trained in finance, he’s also a bit of a philosopher. He worked in the Loreto National Park for a while and is certified as a SCUBA divemaster. He started paddling with us as part of the Loreto Paddle Club and has worked his way up to being a Club leader and now holds his British Canoeing Sea Kayak Leader and Sheltered Water Coach certifications. He has a genuinely kind heart, a gentle sense of humor and many talents!
Felipe is a passionate outdoorsperson, equally at home on a rock face, a river, a Pacific Ocean wave or the open sea under sail. He’s an accomplished freediver, knowledgeable about indigenous culture, and has a magic touch in the kitchen. Felipe earned his Sea Kayak Leader certification from British Canoeing in 2023. !
Club Leader Wuingny (pronounced Whitney) came to Loreto on the invitation of her brother Nikee and started a business caring for people’s pets and rehabilitating dogs. She completed her veterinarian certification in 2023. Wuingny began paddling with the Club and has become a dedicated leader of club activities. Wuingny is also the Club Organizer, coordinating volunteer Club Leaders, inviting participants, and maintaining online records of the activities. She has a delightful sense of fun and a determination to work hard. She charges hard in the waves and meets challenges with vibrant energy!
Club Leader Aurea is a biologist who currently works for the conservation group of Isla del Carmen, Ovis, after a stint with the Loreto National Park. She is passionate about sharing the natural world with people as well as continuing to learn about it herself. She has planted the seeds of birdwatching in the hearts of many a club paddler. She is wonderful with the kids in our summer programs. Share her knowledge and joy on one of our Baja for the Curious trips.
Estela is our outstanding Finance and Logistics Manager. Her attention to detail and forward thinking help keep us solvent, and her smile brightens our day. Keeping track of the syncopated cycles of expiring permits, she also keeps us legal to offer trips to the public! She makes sure taxis and panga captains are notified… and paid, and makes everyone else happy on payday as wel !
Cristy’s is the bright and friendly voice you’ll communicate with in your registration process. She came to Loreto from Monterrey (Mexico) and joined our paddling club. She quickly charmed us with her warmth, positive energy, and abundant talent, so we hired her! With a background in Human Resources, Cristy contributes tremendously to the smooth operation of all things behind-the-scenes including registrations and management.
Carla-Paz joins us all the way from Chile to head up our multi-day rental program. She also offers a smile and helping hand wherever needed, from logistics to day trip guiding. With a bright spirit and a traveler’s perspective on the world, she is a joy to spend time with..
Joining us from nearby Mulege, Danny is essential in keeping the base running smoothly. With a delightful spirit of support, he drives shuttle, keeps up on facility maintenance, cleans gear with a smile, and maintains order in a sometimes chaotic gear room, which takes the eye of a drill sergeant with patience and tact of a saint.
Born and raised in Ensenada Blanca, just south of Loreto, Samberto is as local as they get. He grew up in a fishing family which instilled in him an intimate knowledge and deep affection for the sea. Samberto is friendly, hard-working, aware, and fun. He also has the cleanest and best-maintained panga (motorboat) anywhere!
Neil Schulman is a photographer, photography instructor, writer, conservationist, and sea kayaker who started paddling in Maine and eastern Canada about the time of Watergate, although he was barely tall enough to see over the gunnel of the aluminum Grumman he was in at the time. He started whitewater kayaking in a Perception Dancer in the Northwest and eastern Scotland in the late 1980s before plunging into sea kayaking. His photography and writing clients include Adventure Kayak, Leatherman, The Clymb, Stansport, Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, Willamette Restoration Initiative, and others in the outdoors and conservation sectors. His images were used in the campaign to protect Oregon Wilderness that was signed into law by President Obama in 2009. You can see his writing and photography at neilschulman.com. In his “other career”, he does environmental work, and co-founded the Confluence Environmental Center, which builds future environmental leaders in his home state of Oregon. He likes just about anything that involves a boat, water, wild places, dramatic light, laughter, coffee, and corny jokes: one of his favorite books is Ernest Hemingway’s The Pun Also Rises.
